Puntos de Interés
Infrastructure
Old La Engaña tunnel station
In 1951, work began on the drilling of La Engaña Tunnel, with the aim of crossing the Cantabrian Mountains. This was undoubtedly the most emblematic work of the Santander-Mediterranean railway.
The old Engaña Tunnel station is located next to the southern mouth of the tunnel, which is almost 7 kilometres long. The complex was designed as a service station, as there was no village nearby, so it only had warehouses and loading bays.
The buildings that were part of the complex are simple and rustic. They were built on a platform and materials such as brick and cement were used in the construction, using stone cladding in some areas.
Engaña Tunnel station is very similar to other stations built along the route of the Santander-Mediterranean, such as Yera and Valdeporres, with a rectangular floor plan and a gabled roof. It lacked an attic, and could be accessed through a portico in which the canopy supported by several concrete columns stands out.
There are other buildings next to this station, such as the ruins of a small church, built to provide a religious service to the workers employed to drill the tunnel and their families, housed in the village built to house them, on the banks of the river Engaña, between the tunnel and the station.
Also still standing, although in ruins, are the transformation hut and the warehouse, which were only used during the years in which the tunnel was being built.
After the closure of the railway line and the end of the works, the station, which never came into service, was used as stables.
Finally, it is worth mentioning the works to channel the river Engaña, which had to be diverted to drill the tunnel and then pass it under the future tracks of the station to continue its path on the right side of it.
